


Home Sweet Home

by ferric



Series: Home Sweet Home [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, M/M, ereri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-07
Updated: 2013-07-07
Packaged: 2017-12-18 01:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferric/pseuds/ferric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren wanted to grow up as quickly as possible. Levi remained oblivious to Eren’s feelings toward him. It was complicated. Very slight past Eruri. Domestic AU.</p><p><a href="http://maggie-home.lofter.com/post/2151df_d52ec1">Translation into Chinese</a> by the lovely Natsu!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty much crack.

Levi returned home to an empty apartment. He checked his watch and realized that he still had another hour before Eren came home. He could potentially go to the market to pick up some things. There were a lot of good deals today when he checked online, and it would be a waste when they ended by the end of the day, especially 24 rolls of triple-layer toilet paper for $7 and the two dozen eggs for $2.99. Also, because of the fact that he had left the apartment to Eren alone for the whole week, maybe some cleaning supplies as well.

However, Levi had been flying back and forth for the past week. He was dead tired, so much so that he could resist the urge to place his bags aside and give the floor a good sweep. He was exhausted. He was hungry. Fuck the grocery trip then.

Levi checked the fridge. Before he left for the trip last week, he had cooked several pots of different meals and froze them in zip-log bags for Eren to eat throughout the week. They were mostly gone now, except for one small portion of chicken curry, not enough as a dinner for two. Levi wasn’t in the mood to defrost meat, so they were going to make due with some left over extra-firm tofu and rice. It was depressing, but it was a lot better than greasy take-outs he had been gnawing on during his trip.

Levi was nearly finished chopping up the onions when the sound of the front door opening told him that Eren came home. He heard the door closed, and then there was fast heavy footsteps and rustling of paper bags approaching the kitchen.

"You’re home!" Eren hastily placed all the grocery bags on the kitchen floor. Levi barely had enough time to place the knife down before Eren pulled him into a hug.

“Welcome home,” Eren mumbled into Levi’s hair. He tightened his arms around Levi and nuzzled the top of Levi’s head, not unlike a dog welcoming its master back. At first, Levi was surprised to learn how overly touchy Eren could be, and when he first expressed his concerns of Eren’s puppy-like behavior to Irvin, Irvin had given him a strange look and said, “You should be careful.” Irvin had seemed very uncomfortable after that.

Levi didn’t understand what Irvin meant, but it didn’t really matter. Aside from the problems of Eren’s strange attachment and being overly affectionate to him, he had had a breezy job taking care of Eren. No drugs, no sex in the house, no girlfriend yet but there was Mikasa, decent grades, made varsity of the soccer team, good friends like Mikasa and Armin, kept his room at a decent level of cleanliness….Eren was an easy brat to raise.

Levi didn’t hug Eren back. Usually he would smack Eren away, but Eren had gotten smarter and figured out that usually after long business trips, Levi would be too tired to care. “I have to finish chopping the onions.”

“Ok,” Eren loosened his embrace enough for Levi to turn around and continue with what he was doing. Eren was warm against his back. He didn’t let go of Levi, and Levi didn’t bother to tell him.

“What are we having tonight?”

“Tofu and rice. I don’t have the patience to defrost meat right now.”

“I bought chicken,” Eren said, and Levi perked up a little at that. “I checked online for all the good deals today and made a grocery trip.”

“Did you get the toilet paper and the eggs?”

“Yep!”

“You’ve become more reliable,” Levi said, and Eren snuggled Levi deeper into his chest, seeming happy with the compliment. “I’m glad," said Eren.

"Oi brat, if you want to be useful, get the meat ready," said Levi, not wanting the compliment to get into Eren’s head. It was probably too late for that because Eren nearly skipped to the grocery bags to retrieve the meat.

Dinner was prepared faster than Levi expected. He noticed that Eren had gotten better with knowing when the meat was cooked, but he didn’t comment on it. Eren had enough compliment for the day.

As they sat down to eat dinner together, Eren began to talk about his week, mostly about things at school, soccer practice…etc…. Levi got used to the chatter; in fact, even though he would never admit it aloud, he enjoyed the sound of Eren’s voice. Before he took Eren in, his apartment was simply a place to sleep, but now, it felt close to home.

When Levi attended the funeral of Eren’s parents, he accumulated such a giant headache from all the arguing between the relatives about where they were going to dump Eren that he agreed to take the brat just so he could have some god damn peace. Levi took Eren in on an impulse, after he had seen Eren’s determination to stand on his own two feet without anyone babying him. Eren reminded Levi a lot of himself, when his own parents had passed away.

Eren had grown up quickly due to his determination and Levi’s guidance. However, the brat was getting to an age when he had to decide things on his own.

“What is it?” Eren asked, probably noticing that Levi was a bit distracted.

“We should start gathering things you need for college next fall,” said Levi.

Eren paused. He placed the fork slowly on the plate and said. “I was thinking of working instead.”

There was an awkward silence. Then, Levi spoke. “Why?”

“I just want to become an adult faster,” Eren avoided Levi’s gaze. “Like you.”

“I have a college degree, you shitty brat,” Levi said, and then took a sip of water. He needed to re-hydrate his throat for the argument that was going to ensue.

“I want to be independent!” Eren said, fists clenched on his lap. “I don’t want to burden you anymore.”

“Do you want to move out?”

“No!” Eren said hastily, finally meeting Levi’s eyes. “I want to stay by your side.”

There was something in Eren’s tone that reminded him of Irvin’s warning,  _“You should be careful.”_

Levi said slowly, “So you want to stay with me for—”

“I will pay half of the rent,” Eren sounded determined. “I will live here as your equal.”

“To be my equal, you have to get a fucking degree, you shitty brat,” Levi crossed his arms. “What the hell is this about? Just two weeks ago, you were bragging to everybody in the neighborhood how you got accepted to the same university as your friends.”

“I just don’t think I’m suited for it anymore,” Eren mumbled.

“Bullshit,” Levi scoffed. “What the fuck happened when I was gone?”

Eren became silent.

“You better tell me now,” Levi warned. “I will find out sooner or later. Just save me the fucking trouble.”

Eren was hesitant at first, but he finally caved in. “I bumped into Mr. Smith last week.”

“Oh?”

This didn’t sound good. He and Irvin had parted on bad terms. Well, when Levi said “parted” he meant that they were not going to contact each other for a while. He would give it another two weeks before they started talking again. It was fine. If he and Irvin could remain on good terms after their not-so-nice break up after college, they could make up through any problem.

Levi had a feeling what Irvin had told Eren; in fact, it was the reason why they weren’t speaking right now.

“He said that you sold your parents’ house just so you could pay for my college tuition,” Eren sounded pained at that. “And you’d always hang on to that house, even when you were nearly thrown out on the streets you wouldn’t sell it.”

Fucking Irvin. Levi knew that it was going to make Eren felt guilty so he was going to casually mentioned it way in to the future. Irvin, on the other hand, had known about Levi’s attachment to that house. "Why for him? You had refused to sell the house for your own good before," Irvin had asked, and Levi didn’t have an answer for him. Levi just wanted to do it for Eren, so he did it. He didn’t know why Irvin was so upset about this, it wasn’t his damn house.

“Well I need back-up. I’m making enough to pay your tuition in eight installments, but that would barely cover it. Not to mention there are other expenses besides tuition.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Eren looked guilty, and Levi finally understood what this was all about. This fucking brat.

“Eren,” Levi said. “My parents are dead. They certainly won’t be using that house.”

“But—”

“I don’t need that damn house to remember my own parents,” Levi cut Eren off before he could say more idiotic things. “What the hell do you think my brain is made out of?”

“I’m sorry,” Eren said, looking less guilty and more reassured than he did before. “Also, I just thought that it would be nice if….” He trailed off, scratching his neck in embarrassment.

“Just finish your fucking sentence.”

“I thought it would be nice if we could someday live in your parents’ house together!” Eren blurted out.

“Why?” Honestly, the mind of this brat was beyond his understanding sometimes. After puberty, Eren’s brain was all over the place, and Levi had a difficult time following his thoughts. For example, Levi was fairly sure that people tend to lose interest in taking baths with their parental figure after hitting puberty, but Eren was the opposite. “What difference does it make if we live here or in my parents’ house?”

“Nothing,” Eren blushed. “It’s just….nothing. I just thought it would be nice.”

Levi stared. “If you want to live in a house so badly, finish your college education, get a decent job, and then we’ll talk.”

“Really?” Eren looked more excited than he should be. When Levi was his age, he wasn’t very excited at the prospect of what-the-hell-was-he-going-to-do-after-college. “We’ll look for a house together?”

“Sure,” Levi said. He didn’t think it was normal for teenagers to want to live with their parental figure in the far future, but whatever, Eren had always been a strange one.

“I won’t lose.”

“What?”

“I won’t lose to Mr. Smith,” Eren frowned.

“Well good luck with that. You have a long way to go.” First this brat wanted to be his equal. Now he wanted to beat Irvin. Honestly what the hell went through this kid’s brain, Levi didn’t have a clue. Maybe Irvin had told Eren other things, like how they were dating in college. Eren was strangely possessive over him. It was probably like children who didn’t like their parents to remarry or something.

Sure. Anyway, Levi was just glad that Eren was back on the college track again.

“I’m glad that you took me in,” Eren said. “One day, when I could stand on my own two feet, I will definitely tell you my feelings.” He turned a little red at that.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Eren shook his head. “You’ll just have to wait.”

Levi felt like he was missing something again. This fucking brat and his damn riddle talk. Levi just filed this off as another of Eren’s quirk, and decided that he should take a shower right now to clean himself from the grime of traveling. Maybe Eren would want to scrub his back again. The brat seemed to enjoy that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, I wanted to write oblivious!Levi. To Levi’s defense, he only see Eren as his adopted son, so he didn’t really catch on to Eren’s signals. And he won’t until Eren directly tell him, way in the future.


End file.
